Scottish Government urged to cancel plan to reimpose peak rail fares

The Scottish Tories have urged the Government to walk back plans to re-institute peak rail fares.

The Scottish Government announced a pilot programme last year to see if removing higher fares at peak times would boost numbers on ScotRail trains.

But the pilot, which was extended to the end of this month, will come to an end on September 27 due to a “limited increase in the number of passengers”.

The decision also comes amid financial strife for the Scottish Government, which spent £40m on the pilot in the past 12 months.

As peak rail fares between Glasgow and Edinburgh look set to almost double, the Scottish Tories have urged a re-think.

“SNP ministers need to ditch this brutal and unjustified hike in ticket prices,” said Scottish Tory transport spokesman Graham Simpson.

“Reintroducing peak fares represents a kick in the teeth to long-suffering train users.

“Rail passengers are being forced to make do with a woefully inadequate skeleton service, and yet they are now to be asked to pay double the price for it if they have to travel at rush hour.

“The SNP Government say they are desperate to get commuters out of their cars and on to public transport as part of the push to net zero – but doubling the cost of train tickets actively discourages that.

“The SNP promised us that nationalisation would improve ScotRail, but instead it’s got worse on their watch.

“I’m urging MSPs of all parties to back the Scottish Conservatives on this issue in the hope that ministers see sense and reverse their latest betrayal of train users.”

A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “The Peak Fares Removal Pilot was a welcome incentive over the last 12 months, saving many passengers hundreds and in some cases thousands of pounds during the cost of living crisis. The published analysis shows it primarily benefitted existing rail passengers and those with medium to higher incomes.

“As such, the subsidy required in the current financial climate means it cannot continue on the measure of saving money alone. Although passenger levels increased to a maximum of around 6.8%, it would require a 10% increase in passenger numbers for the policy to be self-financing.

“Ministers understand this will be disappointing for many rail users, particularly for those who cannot choose when they travel to and from work.

“That is why a 12-month discount on all ScotRail season tickets has been introduced – available weekly, monthly and annually. Prior to the pilot someone travelling between Edinburgh and Glasgow would have paid £28.90 for an anytime return.

“They will now pay £31.40 for an anytime day return but with the 20% discount this reduces to £18.52 if they use an annual season ticket to travel at least 4 days per week or £21.25 if using a flexipass for a return journey.

“There is no doubt that this has been a challenging period for rail travel but Ministers are hopeful that services can get back to normal soon and Scotland’s Railway continues to grow.

“Since ScotRail moved into public sector, passenger numbers are up by 75% from 46.7 million in 2021/22 to around 82 million in 2023/24. This makes ScotRail one of the fastest growing operators, with one of the best passenger satisfaction rates.”